第１９０８堀：これからの航海を考えて (Part1)
Chapter 1908: Considering Future Voyages
Considering Future Voyages
Side: Hiiro
“I heard the older sisters were wearing hero suits, so I came to see!”
“Don’t be silly. This is work. Behave yourself.”
“Y-yes. My apologies. I’ve come to deliver a report!”
With that, Hiiro offered a proper greeting.
She was acting like a proper soldier.
“Yes. Thank you for your hard work. Please, have a seat over there.”
My brother said as usual, and Hiiro and the others, accustomed to this, sat comfortably on the sofa.
This is…
It’s that kind of unspoken understanding between a married couple.
Hiiro is my brother’s wife, after all.
“Hiiro-sama, I will take your report.”
As soon as we sat on the sofa, Prof-nee came over, requesting the documents.
This is quite normal.
She’s from a different department.
Even though Hiiro and the others could hand it directly to my brother, it’s necessary for the department to officially receive it and then give it to him.
This is for record-keeping purposes, like acknowledgments.
“Please take care of it~”
“So, what’s the content of the report?”
My brother stopped his paperwork and asked Hiiro and the others.
“Well, you know how there was that talk about using drones to scout routes to the new continent?”
“Ah, yes. Did they arrive?”
“Yes. And surprisingly, all five drones made it safely.”
“What? Even the ones that were flying just above the sea surface?”
“Yes. I thought for sure they’d be taken by sea monsters or creatures, or some kind of trouble.”
Yeah, Hiiro thought so too.
After all, the sea is vast, and it’s a place where you can’t predict what might happen.
There are even mysterious spaces where ships sink without any holes.
Was it the Bermuda Triangle?
My brother said something about bubbles forming due to undersea volcanoes, causing a loss of buoyancy and sinking, but even if such things happen on Earth, it’s even more likely to happen here where monsters exist.
Yet, they surprisingly crossed the sea safely.
“Well, the environment was favorable, I suppose. The weather was clear the entire time.”
“Hmm, that’s unusual. So, it was just good luck?”
“Yes. That’s why we want to do a return trip, you see?”
“Ah, that’s fine. Use the same route, please.”
“Yes. Of course. We need to confirm it a few times.”
That’s right.
Even if it goes well the first time, it might not the second time, and since we don’t know what threats exist this time, it’s beneficial to find out on the next trip.
If we know these things in advance, we can devise countermeasures.
“So, is the planned route entirely sea? Are there any isolated islands?”
“As far as we could see, there were none~”
“Yes. It was entirely sea. Well, we don’t know what the underwater conditions are like, so there might be shallows or reefs.”
“Right. That’s the scary part about new routes. Shallows and reefs can damage ships… Wait, were there any countermeasures for that?”
“For isolated reefs, we have a barrier that prevents direct hits from cannonballs, and they’ve applied that principle. It seems Narjia-san, Taizo-san, and Zargis have collaborated on a spell to shatter reefs they come into contact with… though we haven’t tested it.”
“Don’t test it. If the ship breaks, the repair time will be unpredictable.”
“We won’t. However, the more data we have in case of damage, the better, right? Including experience.”
As Dore-nee said, it’s true that establishing experience and countermeasures for trouble is important.
But as my brother said, ship damage is something we absolutely want to avoid.
Especially holes in the hull, which would take months to repair for an ordinary ship.
For a warship, especially an aircraft carrier, it could take years.
Well, that’s for Earth, but with alchemy or magic, such holes can be sealed perfectly.
Still, I’ve hardly ever repaired holes in ships.
“That’s true. Are there any specialists in ship repair?”
“There are no specialists. We have a unit in the military primarily responsible for maintenance, so they have the knowledge.”
“And then there’s the repair of fishing boats. Dore-nee knows about that, right?”
“Dressa does?”
“Well, I’m from a country that used to face the sea, you see. My father and the others taught me how to handle ships… and how to repair them.”
“That’s quite something. I’m not saying it’s inappropriate, but is that something you teach a princess?”
Yeah, Hiiro was surprised too.
She was shocked when Dore-nee said she could repair wooden boats.
Vili-nee was also surprised.
“Ah, well, I was being a bit stubborn about that. I used to go out to sea often. I guess I wanted my own boat…”
““I see.””
That makes sense.
Given Dore-nee’s personality, she’s the type to build her own boat rather than have a luxurious one made for her~.
“That aside, wooden boats and iron ships, especially military vessels, have completely different structures, right? And the repairs are the same?”
“Naturally. However, you haven’t been neglecting that aspect until now, have you?”
“No. As I said earlier, the maintenance unit has the knowledge, and they’ve been practicing with repair armor and tools. However, it’s only emergency repairs. We haven’t done any overhaul-type repairs.”
“That’s the issue.”
“More importantly, brother, don’t we have shipyards or maintenance facilities for these warships?”
“Hiiro’s right. We were handed finished products, and since we were cooperating with sea monsters and the like, we didn’t encounter problems, but it seems we’ll need them in the future…”
“Yes. We do. If we’re going to build ships in the future, it would be better to have specialized factories equipped with dry docks.”
“The blacksmiths seemed to have trouble finding a place when they were building fishing boats too.”
“Ah, that time. I know Nar-nee and Zargis were designing the engines, but the exterior work was completely different. No, I think they prepared factories, but…”
Yeah, Nar-nee, who built the fishing boats, looked so proud.
There must be a factory.
After all, they must be doing custom orders.
“Regarding that, Yayu-i over there should be more knowledgeable. She’s the founder of Glass Fishing Port, isn’t she?”
“Huh?”
Oh, right.
It was Yayu-i who built Glass Fishing Port.
“That’s right. Yayu-i, what’s the situation with the shipyards?”
“Uh, well, I only taught them how to operate fishing boats, so I’m not very familiar with the practical aspects… Besides, the overall management is handled by Shisia-sama and Sona-sama.”
“That’s true. The fishing port is under the jurisdiction of Glass Port Town, after all. I guess I’ll contact them.”
Saying that, my brother immediately made a call, and Shisia-nee and Sona-nee answered right away.
“Yes. This is Shisia and Sona. Is there something you need?”